EPSCoR Jurisdictions Win Two out of Eleven Awards for NIH Research Centers in Minority Institutions

The National Institute on Minority Health and Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of NIH, has funded three new awards and renewed eight awards funded under the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Specialized Centers Program. The RCMI program develops the infrastructure needed to conduct state of the art biomedical research while fostering the next generation of researchers from underrepresented populations. Project periods span five years and the centers are anticipated to share around $187 million in funding.

The RCMI was established in 1985 to support institutions that confer doctoral degrees in health professions or health-related professions and are committed to educating underrepresented students. The goals of the program are to advance the science of minority health and health disparities, promote diversity in the biomedical workforce, reduce health disparities and promote health equity.

“The RCMI is a legacy program critical to NIMHD’s vision of enhancing the science of minority health and health disparities. The new round of funding promotes advancement of current research while expanding the range of research projects and institutions supported through this program.”

The Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and Xavier University in Louisiana are among the eleven award recipients. The Ponce School of Medicine’s center will be studying cancer biology/oncology, neurosciences, infectious disease, cardiovascular and hypertension, and human genetics. Researchers at the Xavier University center will be implementing program activities that support early stage, underrepresented investigators, maintain core facilities to support Xavier researchers at all levels of career development, and promote and sustain long-lasting partnerships between Xavier and local communities to address cancer health disparities.

Read the full article from NIH here.